Tag Archives: Math Teachers

NJ mathematics educator Clare Samuel garners a 2025 Sliffe Award

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Mathematics educator Clare Samuel from Princeton, New Jersey, garners a 2025 Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching. Photo credit: Clare Samuel

There are many educators from around the country who earn accolades for their work with young people in public schools. One of them is Clare Samuel, a mathematics teacher from New Jersey. She was one of 25 educators throughout the country who earned an Edith May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in 2025.

Clare currently serves as a 6-12 Math Supervisor and Teacher in Somerville Public Schools in Somerville, New Jersey. Previously she taught at Princeton Middle School located  in Princeton in western New Jersey. There she coached the Princeton Middle School MATHCOUNTS team, leading them to top individual and team finishes at the Mercer County College Chapter Competition.

While she was in the classroom, Clare integrated instructional technology to enhance learning; she included Desmos activities; and she designed lessons using Texas Instruments graphing calculators, Google Drive, PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, as well as DeltaMath and GeoGebra.

Clare earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2009 and her Master’s degree Special Education and Teaching in 2013, both from the College of New Jersey. Her career as an educator spans 17 years, and covers both General Ed and Special Ed environments.

Clare says she is grateful for her Sliffe Award. “It affirms my belief that thoughtful, challenging math experiences can open doors for students and build confidence, curiosity, and joy in problem-solving,” she declares.

The Sliffe Awards are presented by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The honors recognize exceptional middle and high school mathematics teachers who inspire and motivate their students in mathematics through participation in the MAA American Mathematics Competitions (MAA AMC). The competitions develop creative problem-solving skills and expose students to exercises in mathematics that are not often seen in standard classroom instruction. Every year, approximately 20 to 25 teachers are selected for the honor. Recipients receive a $500 stipend and full travel, housing, and registration fees to attend the MAA MathFest conference.

CO teacher Shana Engel earns prestigious Milken Educator Award

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Colorado elementary teacher Shana Engel has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2025-2026. Photo credit; La Voz Colorado

It is always my pleasure to share the story of a talented educator who has earned recognition for her work in the classroom. One of these is Shana Engel, an elementary school school teacher from Colorado who has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2025-2026. She is one of only 30 educators to be so honored this year.

Shana teaches mathematics to sixth graders at Mountain Vista Community School, a public school located in Colorado Springs.

Shana is very active on her campus. She organizes opportunities for students to engage with math through the school’s STEM Club, Robotics Club, and Math Tutoring club. And she also encourages parents to volunteer in her classrooms.

In addition to her work with her students, Shana serves on her school’s math committee, and she has been named both the sixth-grade team lead and the middle school math lead. As if all that were not enough, she mentors beginning teachers through the University of Colorado Springs. And she leads professional development on such topics as student engagement strategies and math reasoning.

The daughter of a US serviceman and a homemaker from Korea, Shana says she decided to become an educator when she was a teenager. “I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was a student at Mesa Ridge High School in Colorado Springs,” she reveals. “We had an elementary education elective class at school, which allowed us to visit the surrounding elementary schools and volunteer. I loved being in the school environment as someone the students looked up to and sought help from,” she continues.

Shana earned a Bachelor’s degree in History with an Elementary Education endorsement from University of California, Colorado Springs, in 2012.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the award includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country whose work strengthens best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

 

Remembering Chalkboard Hero Michael Landsberry

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Michael Landsberry

Junior high school mathematics teacher and veteran Michael Landsberry sacrificed his life to save as many as 30 students from a teen gunman. Photo credit: Public Domain

Sometimes it is sobering to remember what a heavy responsibility we teachers have when it comes to protecting our students from harm. And there are many examples of heroic educators who have paid the ultimate price to protect their kids. One such hero is Michael Landsberry, a junior high school math teacher from Reno, Nevada.

Following his graduation from high school in 1986, Michael served in the United States Marine Corps where he had risen to the rank of corporal. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and later became a member of the Nevada Air National Guard.

After his discharge, Michael attended college at Nevada State University, Reno, on the GI Bill. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2001. Following his college graduation, Michael accepted a teaching position at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, a suburb of Reno, Nevada. In addition to being a math teacher, he also coached basketball, cross country, track, and volleyball, and he served as the girls soccer coach at Sparks High School. Michael quickly became a beloved teacher known for pushing his students, but doing it with love and compassion.

On October 22, 2013, Michael was getting ready for the morning bell, when a 12-year-old student suddenly opened fire on his classmates. After the first student was shot, the chalkboard champion’s military training in kicked in. He calmly walked toward the shooter, putting his hands up in a motion to try to talk the youngster into giving up his gun. The student shot him in the chest at point blank range. Michael later succumbed to his injuries, but his heroic actions gave the other students on the playground time to run to safety. He is credited with saving as many as 30 lives that day.

For his heroism, Michael’s name has been inscribed on the Memorial to Fallen Educators at the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas.

GA math educator Dr. Valerie Jones inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Dr. Valerie Camille Jones of Atlanta, Georgia, has been named a 2025 inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). Photo credit: NTHF

There are many superb educators who work with our nation’s young people, and I am always eager to shine a spotlight on one of them: Dr. Valerie Camille Jones of Atlanta, Georgia. She has been named a 2025 inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Valerie was selected for the honor in recognition for her innovative, student-centered classroom. Daily she strives to blend project-based learning, performing arts, and cutting-edge technology in her curriculum. She designs dynamic learning experiences that empower students to take ownership of their own education, deepen engagement, and build a strong sense of community. She does this by integrating popular culture such as dance, music, and media into her lessons. This makes abstract concepts accessible and relevant, and helps her students connect personally with the content, she says. Her efforts certainly yield measurable results. For example, her geometry class achieved the highest end-of-course test scores in her school district and ranked fifth in the state, earning her recognition as Teacher of the Year.

In addition to her NTHF honors, Valerie was honored as a 2021 Women in Technology Mathematician of the Year Award. She was recognized as a semi-finalist for a Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching by Baylor University in 2018. In 2013, she received a PAEMST (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science) by the National Science Foundation. And in 2006, she was named Teacher of the Year for Atlanta Schools.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame established a museum and recognition program in Emporia, Kansas, in 1989 to honor outstanding educators from all corners of the country. Nominees must be certificated public or non-public school teachers, active or retired, with at least 20 years of experience in teaching grades preK-12. Since the inaugural induction ceremonies in 1992, 145 educators from 40 states and the District of Columbia have been inducted. To learn more about the program, click on this link to the NTHF.

Educator Jaime Escalante taught students to “Stand and Deliver”

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Mathematics educator Jaime Escalante taught his students to “Stand and Deliver.” Photo credit: UCLA Digital Library

One of the most well-known teachers in twentieth-century American history, Jaime Escalante, passed away in 2010, but already his story is fading from our collective cultural memory. He was the teacher portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 hit movie Stand and Deliver.

The recipient of numerous awards and special praise from President Ronald Reagan, Jaime Escalante was a popular and talented teacher who challenged supposedly “unteachable” inner-city Latino students to achieve beyond a level anyone thought them capable of. He eventually led them to unparalleled success on the extremely difficult Advanced Placement Calculus exam.

In researching Jaime’s life story for my own book, Chalkboard Champions, I learned some surprising facts about this remarkable educator. For example, the movie never mentions that prior to immigrating to the United States, he earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching credential in Bolivia. Jaime was a veteran teacher with nine years of experience in prestigious schools when he decided to leave his politically unstable homeland and come to America in search of a better life for his family. Once he arrived, unable to speak a word of English, Jaime discovered that his education, training, and experience held no value here.

Determined to return to the classroom, Escalante set about learning the English language and earning his university degree all over again. It took him ten years to get back into the classroom, at a significant cut in pay, by the way. But to this dedicated teacher, it was well-worth the hard work.

A well-researched and well-written account of this celebrated educator’s life can be found in the biographical book Jaime Escalante: The Best Teacher in America by Jay Matthews. For a condensed version of Jaime Escalante’s life, check out chapter 12 my volume, Chalkboard Champions. Either way, you’ll find his story compelling and inspiring.